Thor Smestad - MSc, PAg

Thor has been working in the field of forest and environmental sciences for over 30 years. He is a specialist in ecosystem restoration, particularly in relation to the rehabilitation and stabilization of streambanks, shorelines, and steep slopes. Much of his work in this field has involved the implementation of soil and water bioengineering and biotechnical slope stabilization techniques. These use live cuttings of native willows, red-osier dogwood, and black cottonwood as propagation material. Thor has also been involved in invasive weed management. Here too he has used the planting of native tree and shrub vegetation as an important management tool. 

Between 2012 and 2016, Thor operated Treebear Native Plants and Ecological Services, a small ecological restoration company out of Nelson BC. This company was centered on the use of a specific rooted cutting, termed Tall Rooted Spike Cuttings (TSR Cuttings). Inspired by his work with "standard unrooted" cuttings (while with Terra Erosion Control), Thor developed the TSR Cuttings technique to produce these plants himself.